Weblog of The Gate to Greece. Mainly about Athens and Piraeus because I live here and especially about food because I love it.

27 May, 2009

Frappe with Dodourma @ Syntagma, Athens

Visited Hatzis, or Chatzis (Χατζής), near Syntagma Square for the first time.

Hatzis is a pastry maker based in Thessaloniki and the Syntagma branch is their first venture in Athens. Although founded in 1908, it is a new comer to the Athenians. They specialise in all sorts of Oriental sweets that I am rather more familiar as Turkish sweets.

The tables on the ground floor are lined in front of the pastry showcase and cashier counter; they are ideal for people and sweets watching, but I opted the more quiet first floor seating area.

Although this particular branch cannot be more than a few year old, the decor is rather dated, together with the uniform of the waiters. It is very Greek bourgeois style, and not hip and young Athenian style; accordingly the clientele.

On reflexion, I should have tried their Oriental sweets, but the I was rather for a coffee. At least I ordered something with a twist: Frappé with Dodourma (i.e. Turkish-style ice cream). It costs 4.70 euros.

I tried to find the ice cream in vain. I searched also the froth, but it wasn't there.

When I was struggling to figure out, the waitress turned up apologising that it, in fact, did not contain ice cream and placed the correct one in front of me.

This did contain ice cream, but without spoon, it was still difficult to handle. I could not eat ice cream as there wasn't spoon and I could not drink coffee as the ice cream clogged the straw. It seemed totally ill-conceived to me. In Japan, we have a similar stuff called 'coffee float', which is a glass of iced coffee with one or two scoops of vanilla ice cream, and it always comes with a long spoon.

Defeated and disappointed by this frappé, I gave up the plan to take away some sweets. I will do it, when I will be fully recovered from the damage.